| Aspect | MCP (Model Context Protocol) | A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol) |
|---|---|---|
| Origin & Purpose | Developed by Anthropic (2024) to standardize how AI agents connect to external data sources, tools, and context. Solves the M×N problem for tool/data access. | Developed by Google (2025) to standardize how autonomous agents communicate and collaborate across systems. Enables multi-agent coordination. |
| Theoretical Basis | Enhances autonomy by broadening an agent’s context and giving it tool access. Draws on tool-use and grounding in LLMs. | Based on multi-agent systems theory; promotes specialization and cooperation among agents for distributed problem-solving. |
| System Architecture | Client–Server model: Agents are clients; tools/data providers are servers using defined primitives (Prompts, Resources, Tools). | Peer-to-peer model: Agents discover each other via Agent Cards and communicate using task-oriented messages over HTTP/JSON. |
| Agent Autonomy | Improves individual agent autonomy via environment enrichment. Agents control the tools; tools are not autonomous. | Enables distributed autonomy: agents delegate tasks and work collaboratively, each operating independently within its scope. |
| Planning Approach | Centralized planning within a single agent. Agent decides how and when to invoke tools via MCP. | Distributed planning across agents. One agent can delegate to others, refine plans through dialogue, and collaborate iteratively. |
| Communication Mode | Structured, functional API-style calls between agent and tools. Focused on data and execution. | Dialogic, message-based communication between agents. Supports multi-modal and interactive exchanges. |
| Coordination & Roles | Agent is the coordinator, orchestrating passive tools. All logic resides in the agent. | Decentralized coordination: agents take on dynamic roles (client or remote) and collaborate as peers in a network. |
| Example Use-Cases | - AI assistant querying internal databases - Coding assistant using repo and test tools - Personal assistant accessing smart devices |
- Cross-agent workflows in customer support - Agents in hiring pipelines - Agent collaboration in autonomous repair or planning systems |
Created
April 12, 2025 16:27
-
-
Save omgitstom/9fc8d3d0f1042f4a9e4cea2fdcca6e49 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
MCP vs A2A
Sign up for free
to join this conversation on GitHub.
Already have an account?
Sign in to comment